Norman Reedus & Brice
by mialovesyou99
Summary: Brice covers the scars on her wrists. Covers the bruises on her face. She hides the secrets of her past. But when trying to run away, she runs into a man who promises to love her and protect her. Norman Reedus' love for her is unconditional.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1—Brice**

My plane came in late. It was supposed to leave at 8:18am, but now is pushed back until 4:09pm. "Dammit," I mumble under my breath. I have nothing to do for the next 8 hours. No money, no phone, nothing.

I just stood there, staring at the monitor containing all the arrivals and departures for the upcoming flights. I roll my eyes and lazily walk over to the seating area in front of my gate. Opening my backpack, I fumble for my iPod and headphones, waiting impatiently for them to take my mind away from the stress of air travel. I scrolled through my songs, and then finally settled for Tom Waits.

I feet my lids grow heavy over my eyeballs as I gently doze off. I tuck my legs to my chest creating a tight ball in my chair. I feel safe like this, protected. The steady voice of Tom Waits took my mind off work, the kids, and _him._ I cringe at thought of what he has done to me, of all the pain he has put the kids and I through.

I force my mind to think of something else besides him, but everything I think about draws his image straight back into my head. Thinking of old memories of us in the backyard having a picnic, or about the time we went to that amusement park for the week and how he accidentally threw up on the rollercoaster operator and how much we laughed about it. I smile a little with that memory in my head, but I catch myself and demand my mouth to return to a frown.

My eyes shoot open at the feeling of my stomach rumbling. I can't buy anything though because I used all my money for the cab fare to get here. Just then, I get the grand idea of wandering the airport in search of loose change. A dollar, a nickel, any amount of money will do.

My legs feel like lead as I drag myself across the airport terminal. I can feel peoples' eyes in the back of my head, burning holes through my skull. I'm sure I don't look very pleasant to some people. They would call me a hobo probably. Or just a 26 year-old woman who looks like she hasn't slept in days because she ran away from her home and kids to avoid her abusive husband who is on the chase after her as I speak. Yeah, the second choice is more accurate.

For quiet city Boston, the airports sure are busy as hell. To my right, one woman is sprinting down the terminal trying to catch her flight. On my left, an assistance car passes me while the driver yells, "Mind the cart, sir!" or "Please watch out!" Everybody scrambles out of his way immediately. I try to ignore every person in that building, hoping to find some peace of mind.

After a couple of minutes of walking, my feet finally take me to a vending machine next to a long, dark wall. I check the return-coin slot for change, only to be disappointed. My eye twitches with anger and exhaustion as I bang my fist against cheap machine. I push my long black hair behind my ear and I begin to walk towards the food court. Maybe someone might have dropped some coins while paying for their food or something among those lines.

My stomach was yelling at me by the time I reached the food court. I looked around at the various fast-food restaurants as options I couldn't have. This is one of those moments that I just wish I were invisible. I wish no one would pay attention to me and no one would see the strange tasks I am doing. I discreetly look under every table and chair in search for that precious coin or bill. Suddenly, stuck to the side of one of the chair legs, I see a crisp five-dollar bill. "Ah! You're beautiful!" I say as I kiss it. Triumphantly, I head to the Dunkin' Donuts stand and order a large bagel and medium coffee. I devour the donut very quickly, but I decided to sip my coffee with more class.

Not hungry (but not satisfied either), I trudge back to my chair in front of my gate. I keep my eyes on my feet, trying not to make any eye contact with any person besides my shoes.

All of the sudden, I hit a wall, spilling my coffee all over the wall and I. "Holy shit," I curse as I look at the damage done to my only t-shirt. I look up in front of me to the wall, but what I thought was wall, wasn't a wall at all. It was a man.

My eyes grow big in embarrassment as I look at the man's shirt and jeans. The coffee compressed his thin shirt against his toned stomach and tight chest. My mouth opens at the sight of his muscles, and reluctantly, I look at his face.

My heart starts racing and my feet automatically back pedal 4 steps. I recognize him. He already looked embarrassed for the coffee incident, so I didn't attract any more attention to the situation. He looks at me with his light blue eyes, and the scowl he wore fades away. He smirks, knowing I know who he is, yet I didn't scream his name.

My teeth are chattering as I apologize. "I-I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't know what was going through my mind! I-" My words begin to evaporate as his hand reaches up and touches my neck lightly. My skin tingles quietly underneath his sensitive touch. "Its alright, babe. Don't be so worried! Go ahead, say my name," he whispers softly. His breath is warm on my face and smells like peppermint and cigarette smoke. "Say it, I dare you," he repeated playfully. He sent a soul-melting wink in my direction as I mumble his name.

"You're… You're… You're Norman Reedus."

"Bingo, babe." He replied with another heart-wrenching wink.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2—Brice **

My mouth drops open. "Oh my God," I say in awe. A crooked smile appears across his soft lips. His eyes search up and down my body, and stops when he reaches my face. My stomach is fluttering and my palms begin to sweat. I'm standing in front of THE Norman Reedus.

"Damn girl. You're shaking so much. Calm down… Be yourself," Norman replies with a sly smile. His eyes amble over every inch of my face, concentrating as if he was trying to recall who I am. He removes his hand from my face and places it on my shoulder very carefully as if I might break if he touches to hard.

"I would like to introduce myself in a more… humane way. Hi, my name is Norman. And yours is…?" he started. When I didn't reply immediately, he gorgeous smile pressed into a hard, straight line. He returned his hand to his side as he waited for my answer.

"I'm, um, Brice. Brice Canavati. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you Mr. Reedus. I'm a huge fan of your work. The Boondock Saints, Hello Herman, Blade II, all of it. I've seen every movie and video you have ever made. I…" I catch myself for talking too much. His stature looked as if I was amusing him in someway. "Sorry, I talk a lot."

I look around at the scene I was creating for us. People are whispering and pointing at the movie star and the random hobo-looking girl who seemed to be hitting it off. I blush when I notice he isn't alone. On his right, a big security guard watches me intently and on his left is his agent, who is staring at me in complete amazement.

"Hey, Brice. So, um, I have a question to ask you. If you want, we could head to the VIP lounge upstairs and keep talking?" He leaned in closer and whispered in my ear. "Some people are starting to get jealous of you," he said very seductively. I take note of my surroundings for the second time since I met him, and realize that the security guard has left his side to hold back screaming girls who are almost tackling over him.

"I would love to." He grabs my hand and leads me away from the crowd we attracted. He was silent the entire walk to the lounge. His eyes are focused on the hallway ahead of us. He seems as if he didn't want anyone to interject us or stop us from getting to the lounge.

We reach the lounge quicker than I expected. Norman gave his ID to the lady at the front desk and she pushed a button to open up the lounge doors. Still with a tight grasp on my hand, Norman looked back to smile at me as he led me through the automatic doors.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to my life, Brice."

We reached a table with a white tablecloth and Norman's name on a plaque. He releases his grip on my hand, allowing me to sit at the chair across from him. Before I have the chance to pull out the chair from underneath the table, he quickly jogs around the table to pull out the chair for me and push me in. A true gentleman.

Norman returns to his side of the table and sits in the chair opposite of mine. He places his hands under his chin and stares at me while the waiter takes our order.

"I'm not hungry, but I'll just have a coffee. And make it hot." At the word 'hot', he redirects his attention to me and gives me a flirtatious smile. I smile back at him.

I order the same thing as Norman did, but iced instead of hot. He blue eyes stare at me from across the table. A silence is formed between us. But it's not awkward. It's an understood silence. Comfortable, yet sexy.

"So Brice, I bet your wondering why I brought you here, huh?" He broke the silence.

"Yeah, just a little bit," I reply with a nervous giggle.

"Well," Norman starts. "First whenever I saw that someone spilled their fucking coffee on me, I was pretty pissed off. But when I looked up and saw your face… all my anger just went away. Nobody has had that power over me before. Something about your eyes just released me of the fury I was holding."

My heart flutters for him. He is absolutely perfect. "I am so sorry about that, by the way. I was being a complete idiot and I…" I was cut off my Norman putting his hand on my knee from under the table. I gasped and jolted, obviously scaring his hand away. He returns his hand back to his lap. I shake my head in embarrassment.

"It's okay, sweetheart. No one was hurt and no real damage was done," he says. He smiles at me reassuringly, comforting me about my mishap. "I'm actually glad it happened. If not, I wouldn't have met you."

His hand returns reappears at my knee, obviously trying to make me feel better. His eyes make contact with mine, and I hold his gaze for a couple of seconds. His lips part as he mouths a couple of words to me, which seem to say: "I like you, a lot". Just then, the waiter returns with our coffee.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3—Norman**

I take in everything about Brice that I can. Her long black hair, her piercing green eyes, her slim yet curvy body… Every part about her screams my name. Her left thumb draws circles around a small star tattoo directly under her right pinky.

"I like your tattoo. I have one almost exactly like it, but it's under my right thumb, not my pinky. What does yours stand for?" I asked her. Her reaction to my question was not the response I was looking for though.

As I mention the tattoo, her eyes show a look of horror (maybe embarrassment as well) and they immediately darted away from her hand and to her coffee cup. It was obviously a touchy subject for her.

"Well, it was a mistake. My, um, ex-husband and I loved watching the stars at night, especially in the winter time." Her voice softened. "It was kinda nice… What about yours?" I pulled up my long sleeve to show her my star.

"Mine is sort of a mistake too. Got shit-faced one night… and the tattoo parlor was just too close to the bar. But the significant part about it is my dad's favorite shape was a star. I also have tattoo on my chest with his name. See for yourself," I said.

I unbutton my coffee stained shirt to show her the tattoo. As I reveal it, I could see Brice's eyes scan my whole body, not missing a square inch. She smiles and nods at my dad's name. "You're named after him huh?" she said with a smile.

"Yeah, when people see me with my shirt off, they just think I'm some arrogant son of a bitch, but they just really… don't know the real side to me. I'm not always the badass, Daryl Dixon or Murphy MacManus type, you know? I actually care about things, sometimes," I said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," she said. Our eyes meet at she took another sip of her coffee.

"So where are you headed to?" I ask. I hate uncomfortable silences.

"Um, Los Angeles."

"No way, me too! I'm headed to Comic-Con actually. 'Sposed to be the biggest one ever," I say.

"Wow. I have no idea where I'm going yet honestly… I'm just gonna wing-it sorta," Brice said with a chuckle.

"Well on that case, do you wan-" I was cut off by the announcement speaker. "_Flight 104 to Los Angeles will begin boarding in 10 minutes. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation."_

"Oh shit, we better go then," I start. "If you want to, I could request to change seats so we could sit together. I like talking to you," I said and winked at her.

Brice looks up from her cup and bit her lower lip. So sexy.

"Only if I get window seat," she says playfully.

I grab her hand and kiss the back of it softly while holding her gaze. "Deal," I say, sending another wink in her direction.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4—Brice**

The flight attendant obviously recognized Norman. She stood at the check-in counter with her eyes popping and her mouth wide open. I look down at Norman and I's intertwined hands in astonishment. He gives her the tickets and whispers something in her ear. The attendant nods obediently and calls her manager on the intercom.

Minutes later, a short Indian man in a crisp, blue suit came jogging towards us. Norman squeezes my hand reassuringly, sending electric tingles through my arm and all over my body. He whispers something inaudible to me to the manager. The manager—who's nametag read 'Carlos'— gave a thumbs up to Norman and I. Norman thanks them and leads me through the plane's jet-way.

He turns around to face me and says, "They were nice enough to let you change seats to sit next to me. There definitely are perks to being famous." He chuckles at his own remark. He winks again. I smile back and bite my lip, trying to be sexy and seductive.

Norman takes my bag from off my shoulder as we board the plane. He looks at me, confused and worried at the same time. "Is this all you have?" he asks. I nod in embarrassment. He focuses his eyes back to plane aisle.

We make our way to our seats (first class, of course) and Norman steps out of the way, letting me have the window seat. I scoot my way to through the seats and sit down.

I watch Norman put his luggage and my bag into the over-head. His arm muscles ripple underneath his skin as he lifts his bag over his head and his bronze skin shines with perspiration. I stare at his tight and tones stomach with pure lust. I want him so bad, it hurts. His eyes catch mine and quickly look away. A smug smile develops on his lips, knowing I was watching him.

"Stop starin' at me. I know I'm beautiful," he says playfully as he pokes the side of my stomach.

I giggle at his remark and look at him straight in his beautiful blue eyes and bite my bottom lip again. He smiles at me, knowing I am agreeing with him.

I haven't flirted with a man since I dated my husband, so it was pretty much a new concept for me. But by the reactions Norman has been giving me, I think I am doing pretty well.

Norman sits in the chair to my left and turns to me. He edges his right hand towards mine ever so slightly, until I could feel his fingertips brush my hand. I uncurl my fingers and allow his hand to slip around mine until the heat of his palm presses against my own. His left hand leaves his lap and touches my cheek and his thumb carefully caresses my jaw. I stare at him as he stares at his hand.

I can feel a rush of heat reach my face. The corners of his mouth curve slightly as he notices my sudden appearance of blush. I lick my lips as I wait for his to land upon mine. He leans in close to my face, watching me intently. I feel his hot, moist breath on my nose and cheeks, causing me to shiver. I close my eyes to savor the erotic moment he has created between us.

Inches away from my face, he whispers, "Stay with me. We could go everywhere together, do everything together."

I look up at him again through my hair that has wisped over my eyes and whisper back, "I wouldn't want anything more."

"I don't want you to think I do this often. I mean like bringing a girl I met at an airport with me to LA. This is the first time in a long time that I met someone as real as you," he said. Most of the women I fall for are fake-ass bitches who change themselves to be with me. It's nice being with someone who is as natural as you are."

I hang onto every word he says. His eyes show kindness as he speaks to me, not rage or anger like my husband's were. It's refreshing to have a man respect me. God know how long it's been since a man has been genuinely sweet to me.

"Norman, I know this may sound pretty pathetic, but I honestly don't remember the last time a man has approached me in public and wasn't embarrassed to be seen with me and-,"

Norman cuts me off with his hand giving mine a reassuring squeeze. His blue orbs stare deeply into mine, bouncing between each of my eyes. A brooding yet meaningful expression envelops his usually expressionless face.

I continue on, "I mean, you're such a considerate guy and you could be with literally any girl you want to be with… So why are you being so affectionate?"

Norman rips his eyes from mine as he thinks of his answer. His tounge brushes his top lip and his eyebrows knit together. He glances back at me and he moves his face closer to mine. The comforting scent of coffee and cigar smoke still lingers on his skin.

"I saw you sleeping in the airport chair, and I tried to shake your face off my mind, but you stayed there. Tattooed in my imagination, as if I've seen you somewhere else. I feel like I could conquer the world with one hand as long as you're holding the other. Stay with me."

I shiver at his words as a sense of pleasure rushes through me. Norman places his hand on my shoulder and my gaze falls upon his eyes. My breaths quicken and my heartbeat rises. I've haven't felt this much love in years.

"Only on one condition," I say. "You can never leave me for someone else, like for some sexier or funnier person than me."

A familiar smile crawls across Norman's lips. "Why would I need someone better when you're all I could ever want?"

I giggle and smile a big smile as I threw my arms around his neck. I can feel his hands wrap around my waist and his tones muscles squeeze me tightly. Being in his arms, I feel safe. Like nothing will ever hurt me again.

"I'll stay. I really want to, too."

His eyes show pure joy and happiness as he kisses me on the cheek and returns to a sitting position in his chair. He crosses his arms and closes his eyes with a vivid smile on his face as he falls into a light sleep. I watch his breathing become slower and steadier as his mind wandered to his dreams. I grin at his peacefulness and I try to fall asleep as well.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5—Norman **

"_Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats for we are beginning our descent into Los Angeles."_

I awake to the intercom's voice. I have suddenly become unaware of where I am, who I'm with… I look around the airplane trying to find something familiar. My eyes land upon her. Brice. Thank God that was not all a dream. That she was not a figure of my imagination.

She slumps against the wall of the airplane in a serene sleep. I focus on her features that I did not notice on her before. Her curly black hair was well below her waist, her long dark eyelashes jut out from her eyelids, her hands are small and dainty for a woman of her stature. She is absolutely beautiful. I couldn't help but notice how flawless she looks even without any makeup. A natural girl… that's new for me.

I lean over to her and grab her hand from her lap and turn it palm-up. With my other hand draw small hearts in the middle of her palm. Brice moves a little, but not enough to wake up. I then move closer to her and plant kisses on her exposed shoulder, leading my lips up to her collarbone. Her skin shivers under my touch and I smile with satisfaction.

Her eyes slowly open and land upon mine. She smiles at me and stretches her arms and legs. She bats her long eyelashes at me and yawns. "Good morning, beautiful," I say. "How did you sleep?"

She sighs and stretches again. "Perfectly. I have to say Norman, you sure do look very cute when you sleep." She winks at me.

I straighten my back and smile at her flirty comment. "Well, what can I say? I'm adorable," I say with a laugh.

She giggles and nods with agreement. Her dark eyes leave mine and make their way to the window on her right. She sighs lovingly at the view the plane has to offer.

I crawl up next to her and rest my chin on her shoulder, staring out the window as she is. Her hair smells like honeydew melons and apricots and her breath smells like spearmint gum mixed with warm coffee. I've realized with much experiences, noticing the small things about a girl such as the way she smells or the type of toothpaste she uses can go a long way.

She craned her neck to look at me, and I looked right back at her. She parts her lips as if she wants to speak, but she changed her mind, shook her head, and returned her attention to the window.

"What is it?" I ask.

"I…I think you should know something, Norman… I'm not just going to LA to go on a vacation or whatever. I'm actually trying… trying to run away. Away from my husband, my kids, my past life. Damien…he isn't my ex-husband. I'm still legally married to him, but he treated me awfully. I had to run away. I-" I cut her off by pressing my index finger to her lips.

"Brice, none of that matters to me. I like you for you, and nothing from your past can change that." By this time, tears were steaming down her golden cheeks. I wiped them away with my thumb and stared at her.

"I want you to be happy. And if you being happy means you being with me, I'm fine with that. More than fine, actually. I've honestly wanted to be with you since I first laid my eyes on you," I said. I pressed my lips to her cheeks and kept them there for a couple of seconds. When I leaned away, Brice threw her arms around my neck.

"I'm starting to really like you," I whisper in her ear.

Brice's embrace tightened around my neck and I can feel her cheeks move from smiling. I release her from my grip and move away from her so I can look at her beautiful face. Her sharp features compliment her face so nicely. Her eyes so fierce, her lips so red, her hair so silky. All I can think of is… damn.

I smile at her and return to my position of sitting correctly in the chair. I extend my hand towards hers, and she stretches her fingers to meet mine. No words are spoken until the plane lands 30 minutes later.

I stand up to retrieve our bags, and I feel Brice's eyes on my torso and legs. Her dark brown orbs darted between my abdominals and my crotch. She bites her lower lip in lust, and I can feel the fabric of my pants tighten. The thought of her looking at me in _that_ way has turned me on so much. I want her, and I want her now.

I throw my backpack over my shoulder and but Brice's on my forearm. Her hand reaches for mine and our fingers lace together as we exit the plane. I squint my eyes as the brilliant glaze of natural sunlight blinds me momentarily. The steps down from the plane are steep and slippery from the recent rain LA has gotten.

Still hand in hand, Brice and I continue our way from the plane to the ground below us. All of the sudden, I hear a sharp squeal and a soft hand grab my bicep. I quickly turn around to see Brice laughing as she sat on the iron steps.

"I slipped…" Brice said with a shrug and a sheepish laugh. I take both of her hands to help her back to her feet and draw her closely to my side.

"Maybe I need to hold on to you tighter then," I whisper behind her ear.

I throw my right arm over her shoulders and hug her hard by my side. I feel her muscles relax as my embrace comforts her. A smile tugs at my lips when I realize how comfortable she has gotten with me since the first time I met her. She notices my smile and confronts me about it.

"What are you smiling about now?" She says with a hint of mockery in her voice.

"Nothing…" I respond.

When we reach the bottom of the steps, she escapes from my grip and stops in front of me with her hands on her hips.

"Tell me now, or you'll see the side of me that no one wants to live through. I get bad," she says sternly with a sly smile.

"Maybe you can show me that badness some other time…" I say with a wink.

Brice grunts and punches my arm while giggling at my proposal.

I sigh and tell her what is on my mind: "I really like how comfortable we've gotten lately… I mean shit…. We've only known each other for what? 6 hours? Almost 7? And look at us now…"

I place my hands on Brice's hips and pull her close to me. Her hands slip around my back and into the back pockets of my jeans. I can feel my heart twitch with anticipation as the warmth from her skin runs through my body, going bone-deep. I rest my forehead on hers and breath in the scent of her, trying to imprint the perfect fragrance in my mind.

On my back, I feel two sets of hands push my body away from Brice's in a vigor force. I look around quickly for the dipshit who pulled me away from her, only to find an airport security guard asking Brice and I to step aside, that we were blocking the walkway.

I apoligize to the guard and Brice does the same. The guard nods and walks away carelessly with his arms crossed across his chest. I glace at Brice and point my finger toward the baggage claim conveyor belt. She begins walking that direction, but I stop her by grabbing her elbow and I pull her to my side again.

"I don't want you falling again," I say and I smile. Brice chuffs at my pathetic excuse to be closer to her, but she pins hip to mine. Her left hand crawls itself around my back and remains there, hugging me close to her. I raise my right hand above my head and wrap my arm around her shoulders. She shudders at my sensitive touch, and I smile with satisfaction.

Our steps in sync, we make our way down the street towards the indoor baggage claim. The California sun beats down on our back and envelops us in its golden rays. I lean over towards Brice, and softly kiss her on the top of her head. She looks up at me and grins as she hugs me tight around my torso. I then realize that I am finally seeing the sunnier side to life.


End file.
